The Gorsedd questions the ideological basis of the draft constitutional revision by the French Government and is concerned about the possible infringement of individual and collective freedoms

Press release by the Brotherhood of Druids, Bards and Ovates Brittany: Gorsedd, December 29th 2015

The government has presented a draft constitutional amendment called "Protection of the Nation" to the Council of Ministers of 23 December 2015. This text now submitted to the National Assembly focuses on two points:

- Registration of the state of emergency in the Constitution;

- Forfeiture of French nationality for having acquired dual nationality.

On the first point, the insertion of a new Article 36-1 will guard against any constitutional challenge on new repressive measures not expressly provided for by the Act of 3 April 1955. In addition, the scope is very wide and may be justified even, for example by the occurrence of a natural disaster! There is a great risk, in any case, of create an exceptional regime which is detrimental to our civil liberties. The planned provisions allow any government with a parliamentary majority to renew the state of emergency extension without limit!

On the second point, entrenched nationality has returned to abandon Civil Law and to politicise its allocation or forfeiture, an unfortunate sign of allegiance to the ideas of the extreme right. The only legal precedents in this area date back to the Vichy regime, which is a devastating shameful symbol while claiming this displays a defence of republican values! The French choice to sanction on the basis of previous background, if not ethnicity, is an extremely serious violation of the equality of all citizens, and thus a violation of republican principles.

The Gorsedd of Brittany asks, while also recognizing that the Breton or Corsican people are locked in by the principle of the unity of the French people, how can the government seek to apply a measure that defeats that same principle? The question could be seen as a provocation but we must still ask:

Would Racism à la française be at the head of the State?

At Quimper, December 29, 2015

Per Vari Kerloc'h, Grand Druid of Brittany

Translation by Mick Paynter

See (voir notre article) in French and (voir notre article) in Breton